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President Isaias Afwerki appears on TV In robust health

President Isaias Afwerki appears on state TV shattering opposition claims of his death

April 28, 2012 (ASMARA) — President Isaias Afwerki appeared on state TV today, ending a weeklong rumor by Eritrean opposition websites that the 66-year-old former guerrilla fighter had passed away.

In an interview conducted with ERI-TV, President Isaias said, “I am lucky; I enjoy robust health. The speculated ill-health is only in the minds of the authors of such a baseless rumor.”

Emphasizing the rumors of his death were part of a coordinated effort to destabilize Eritrea by interest seeking groups, the president reminded Eritrean citizens to remain skeptical and not fall prey to websites that continue to spread misinformation.

Long dismissed by the Eritrean diaspora as being the mouthpieces of Zenawi's administration, a few Eritrean opposition websites had gained the attention of western media of late, despite their creditably being called into question.

With the appearance of the president on national TV, Ethiopian-funded Eritrean opposition websites took another major blow to their creditably, after they falsely reported President Isaias Afwerki had died last Sunday from liver ailments.

5 comments:

I'm Ethiopian and even I can see that Assenna.com, Asmarino.com and Awate.com, who all claim to be Eritrean opposition websites, are nothing more than illegitimate websites working for the Ethiopian government. To various degrees, all three of them claimed the Eritrean president died or was in 'terminally ill' health, but the reality was they made it all up. How any rational Eritrean or thinking person for that matter can take these websites as being a legitimate Eritrean opposition website is beyond me really. But then again, anything is possible these days. We're stuck with a dictator who openly conducts genocides and divide and rule politics in Ethiopia, while the Obama Administration turns a blind eye and sides with the tyrant for short-sided US interests.

I have one simple question to these pathetic sites(( Assenna.com, Asmarino.com,Awate.com )): where did you get your facts? Do you think you can get your credibility by regergitating Ethipian TV and propaganda crap?

I am sure you have watched the interview and it must hurt like hell. No doubt you must be dreaming up your next one, to which I say happy fishing. You know you are so desperate for any crumb of gossip to make up for you desperation.Who do you think you are dealing with? Do you know anything about Eritrean peoples? Do you know what people mean when they say '' Isaias Afewerki is us and we are him''. Everyone stands for Eritrea. We know who we bat for, do you??!!

You are making yourselves absolute fools. Your efforts are wasted and mis-guided. You think you can fool all the people all the time? If you listened to the interview I am sure you must have some idea as to how the rest of us view your sites and the crap you dish out. I would like to suggest one thing that would be beneficial for you and those that follow you. Give people some substance and an engaging subject matter to involve them. Where is your creativity? Where is your constructive input to any common debate? When will yjou stop playing second-fiddle to the Ethiopian(Woyane!)propaganda?

As an Eritrean I find you guys(site owners) despicable,however, I respect your rather suspect views. You are entitle to it. I hope one day you wise up and smell the coffee.There is always hope.

The internet is a double-edged sword. It will give you a temporary platform to make yourself heard or make an absolute ass of yourself. The truth cannot be buried by propaganda.Lies always come out for the world to see. Once your credibility has gone there is NOTHING left. The three sites came out together with one big lie that tells its own story.They made themselves beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are propaganda OUTLETS. I would not take them seriously EVER!! They lack fundamental qualities of public news outlets,ie., truthfulness, dependability and integrity. They have shown their true colors and I am in no doubt of it. They did not show a modicum of integrity. No word of caution or anything. They swallowed the propaganda crap hook, sink and bait. What a waste!! The sorry saga of these pitiful sites is that they could have been used for much better purpose and a lasting one at that.

May I suggest one thing to them? How about re-designing these sites to provide public information service of a different kind? I would re-design them so that they can be turned into a virtual library where information about Eritean history is made available for all Eritreans irrespective of political affiliations? Where people can upload information products that can benefit everyone. Would not that be a fruitful enterprise?

Mr anonymous, i wish I had a chance to talk to you on round table chat while drinking tea about your suggestions for Awate.com and assena. But let me suggest this to your TV Eri though. We were told that weyane poured their precious blood along side the EPLF unlike us 'the Gebars" or "worse the living dead as we were called and sung about by wedi zagir, lomi zeyketete." So why can't you merge both TV Eri and ETV (ethiopian TV which is your weyane brothers outlet)." You look goooooooooooood together.